Saturday, July 22, 2017

Like I Said - It Is Poor Grammar

I am a grammar Nazi. I admit it.My mom, a teacher, raised us to speak properly. I remember answering the phone at Fort Monroe, VA at 5 saying, "Captain Galvin's residence, Annie speaking." My mother spent a lot of time teaching me to do that.She drilled us in grammar and syntax. I disliked it as a child. However, as I grew up, I appreciated her instructions very much. I ended up doing well in job interviews and in expressing myself.So it is in that spirit that I offer this: Peeps...The term is not "LIKE I said." The proper term is "AS I said." I'm hearing this term often with professional newscasters. It makes me cringe. Someone used "like I said" on Friday on the Fox News noon show, "Outnumbered."These are all smart, well-educated women (with one rotating male guest) who have no excuse for not using proper grammar.

Just to be an equal opportunity grammar snob, I also hear this term constantly on the Today Show on NBC.Thus, my dear friend Debra's very well-written blog is As I See It Now and not Like I See it Now.Let me get the following other issues off my chest:1. Your - belonging to you You're - contraction for you are.2. There - at that place Their - belonging to them They're - contraction for they are3. To - preposition indicating direction of motion Too - also Two - the number after one

4. Using the term "I seen" when you mean "I saw."5. Here - at this place Hear - what your ears do6. Using the word "like" as an oral connector for no apparent reason. So like I went to the store and there weren't any avocados and like I was jonesn' so much for some guac. So my Mom was like all up in my grill and like she said to just like move on and like get some clam dip instead. Like, I don't have needs?7. Here's a favorite: "He don't know any better." Please peeps it is "He doesn't know any better."8. Its - belonging to it It's - contraction for it is.

Finally, we need to remember that "apostrophe s" after a word ('s) as in the word pump's above, means "that which belongs to the pump" as in "That pump's notice is grammatically incorrect with poor spelling." Pumps, no apostrophe, means more than one pump.How about:The pumps are not taking debit cards. Please pay inside with your debit card and then pump gas. Credit cards can be used right at the pump. Thank you. We are sorry for any inconvenience.My husband is a great writer with excellent grammar and syntax.